William Brenton Boggs

William Brenton 'Bill' Boggs, O.C., O.B.E., B.Eng., was born in Douglas, Arizona, USA, on December 18, 1918. He came to Canada with his parents in 1927, and settled in Noranda, Quebec, where he was educated. He attended McGill University, where he studied mechanical engineering, graduating near the top of his class.

His involvement with aviation began when he joined the Royal Canadian Air Force as an Engineering Officer in 1940. In 1943, while serving in England, he was specially selected to be the Senior Engineering Officer of No. 331 Wing, comprised of three squadron of Wellington bombers, which were dispatched to Tunisia, North Africa, to support the Allied landings in Sicily and Italy. In 1944 he was appointed to the Order of the British Empire (O.B.E.) in the rank of Officer for his outstanding contributions to this vital operation. Returning to England, Squadron Leader Boggs went on to participate in the support of the final months of the air campaign over occupied Europe and ended the war by serving on the continent until the cease fire had been declared.

After returning to Canada and to civilian life in 1945, Boggs worked for 5 years with Trans-Canada Airlines, as Superintendent of Maintenance and Engineering, following which he joined Canadair in 1950. At Canadair he was the Manager of Industrial Engineering and Production Control for 7 years, after which he joined Can-Car, a subsidiary of Hawker Siddeley Canada, and was appointed Vice President of Hawker Siddeley in 1957. In 1965 he was appointed by that company to the position of President of de Havilland Aircraft of Canada (DHC).

At DHC he came in contact with the advancing STOL (short take-off and landing) technology that was an outgrowth of the Beaver, Otter and Twin Otter aircraft programs. Under his leadership, DHC expanded the marketing of its new aircraft types world-wide. He initiated the development of the 50-seat DASH 7 commuter aircraft, a response to the opportunities for STOL commuter aircraft that were envisaged for the Northeast Corridor linking the cities of Washington, New York, Pittsburgh, Boston, Montreal and Toronto. This concept was strongly supported by the Canadian Government and DHC, but it presented a direct conflict of interest for its parent company, Hawker Siddeley, since that company was also marketing its own 44-seat HS 748, a potential competitor to the role visualized for the Dash-7.

While these changes were being made at DHC, Boggs had been selected to be the President, and later Chairman, of Canada Systems Group (CSG), a position he held for 12 years, during which time he built CSG into the largest computer services company in Canada. In 1983 he was appointed President and CEO of The Canadian Data and Professional Service Organization. But he was not through working for the aviation industry yet.

In 1984 a change in the Federal Government resulted in a decision to privatize both DHC and Canadair if willing buyers could be found. At DHC a change in management was implemented to prepare to company for sale while continuing with the development of the Dash-8 series of commuter aircraft. Once again the call went out for Boggsm who returned to DHC in December of 1984 as Chairman, President and CEO.

Through his firm leadership, he was able to maintain development and production while preparing the company for sale, thus ensuring that one of the most critical assets in Canada's aerospace industry was preserved and repositioned for future growth. DHC was sold to the Boeing Company in 1986, at which time Boggs was appointed Vice Chairman of Boeing Canada. In 1987, he accepted the Chairmanship of Field Aviation Holdings Inc., a position he held until his retirement in 1995.

Boggs was recognized for his tireless dedication and distinguished efforts on behalf of the aviation industry of Canada. He was invested as an Officer into the Order of Canada in 1988. The Canadian Aeronautics and Space Institute (CASI) named him Fellow in 1967. He served twice as Chairman of the Aerospace Industries Association of Canada (AIAC), in 1967-68 and agin in 1987-88. In 1983 he was named Fellow of the Canadian School of Management.

Boggs retired in 1995 after 55 years of distinguished service to the aviation industry and to Canada. He resided in Toronto, Ontario where he died on January 7, 2011.

Boggs dedicated himself to his community serving on several boards, including President of the Toronto Symphony, the Canadian National Exhibition and the National Ballet of Canada, as well as many corporate Board of Directors.

William Brenton Boggs was inducted as a Member of Canada's Aviation Hall of Fame in 2003 at a ceremony held in Halifax, Nova Scotia.